Internal Structure, Dynamic Behavior and HydrologicalCharacteristics of a rock glacier in the semiarid andes of Argentina.

ORTIZ, AGOSTINA; VILLARROEL, CRISTIAN DANIEL; FORTE, ANA PAULA; TAMBURINI BELIVEAU GUILLERMO; SCHROTT, LOTHAR

Congreso; First Regional Conference on Permafrost (RCOP) and 19th InternationalConference on Cold Regions Engineering (ICCRE), International Permafrost Association (IPA). "foster permafrost research to the ends of earth".; 2021

This work aims to present the analysis of the internal structure, dynamics and hydrogeology of a large-sized, complex, multi-lobate and multi-root rock glacier located in the southwest of the San Juan province (31°52'59.75"S; 70°15'8.62"W), Central Andes of Argentina.The study was conducted combining electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), Differential Interferometry Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) and hydrochemical data.The hydric characteristics would indicate a series of paths through which water would flow within a rock glacier. Said pathways may or may not have connections linking the supra-permafrost flow with the sub-permafrost flow. ERT studies have allowed the recognition of a discontinuous structure for the upper part of the permafrost layer, which would enable such connection between bothflows. This study contributes to the knowledge of the material properties of rock glaciers, which represent important reservoirs/water resources, and their influence on the distribution of mountainpermafrost, hydrology and dynamics. The presence of large areas of hydrothermal alteration, suchas in the Andes, constitutes an additional challenge in the interpretation of cryogenic processes.